david_oz

I'm currently sitting on a YYC-SYD reservation for Dec 24 - Jan 1 which is obviously not going ahead. I want to reschedule this trip to next year, the later the better because there is more chance of it going ahead, but all the options on United metal from anywhere in North America to Sydney for next year are insanely expensive. I recently moved to IAH, and I'm willing to reposition to anywhere in North America, but I can't find anything worth booking. I'm searching from April to October 2021, and what I'm seeing right now is stuff like:

• From YVR/YYC/YYZ, most flights are pricing out around US$1,700 with a NZ codeshare via AKL, or US$3,000+ on straight UA metal
• From anywhere in TX its around U$3,000+
• Some US airports are cheaper, for example I found NZ codeshare flights from LAS for US$1,400

I paid C$1,250 for my original flights so my options aren't great. I have to do something before December 24, otherwise I'll lose the value of that ticket. My current best idea is to change the ticket to any destination available for C$1,250 for next October, and then re-book it to Sydney once some sanity returns to UA's Australia pricing (ie. park the value of the ticket somewhere else for as long as possible). Can anyone suggest any other ideas?

jsloan

All you have to do by then is cancel your existing plans, not find new ones. You'd get future flight credit in the amount you paid.

Mwenenzi

Can you get a full cash refund for your YYC-SYD flight? Is it cancelled? Sold by UA or AC?

DL are flying LAX-SYD and UA SFO-SYD.
While the current AU government restrictions end 16 Dec, is 99.99% certain they will be extended. There are limited hotels available for the 14 day self paid quarantine. That means the limits on arrivals of about 30 per flight will continue. Hence the very high prices. The airlines may be carrying that pricing to mid year. The only people booking now are those who need to/100% want to fly The amount quarantine hotels/room is being slowly increased. Will be more when Melbourne is back into quarantine scheme.

Aussienarelle

I too have been watching the cost of flights and they are expensive, because as already noted, the 14 day mandatory quarrantine at a hotel is limiting the number of people who can arrive. Note however, the wealthy and connected do not need to quarrantine in a hotel so if yoi can get on that list you can bypass the hotel quarrantine. You still need to quarrantine just not paying A$3,000 for the privilege of being locked in a room for 14 days. . Not sure why the Australian government is unwilling to let the general population quarrantine in their own homes but it is providing jobs for some people. So the lack of number of passangers allowed in means the airlines only want to transport high paying passengers.

I have a trip to Europe planned with some Australian friends for May 2021 and we all pretty much think they will not be allowed out of Australia. I an an Australian citizen so am able to travel to Oz and as a boa fide US resident can leave again.

However, I ready missed a wedding last weekend. I was supposed to be there in July for a family reunion and obviously did not make it. I am supposed to be there in December 2021 and we were just talking last week that we are not certain Australia will be allowing travel from the USA without the 14 day quarrantine.

United does have flights going to Australia but these seem to be cargo flights with some passangers.

As others advised, take the FFC and apply it to another destination. Australia is off the cards for the foreseeable future.

Hawkeyefan

Feel truly bad for the Aussie nationals.

david_oz

clearly my brain wasn't working when i posted this last night. this is obviously the answer. thanks!

phkc070408

We were planning a trip to AU in October 2021 that we decided to put off until July 2022 now. We'll be booking with miles so I took a peek at the rates now for July 2021, basically just fantasizing, and J on the IAH-SYD nonstop is at the 360K every day until some time in mid August, the highest tier for that route. In fact, the only routings I found for the 200k from EWR to SYD involve 2 connections.

As for canceling your trip, at least Christmas Day won't be a day that never existed for you.

supine

As an Aussie who lives in Germany and has no idea when he'll get to see family again, I have one message for anyone contemplating non-emergency travel to Australia anytime in the foreseeable future...

Tell 'im he's dreamin'

kirkwoodj

non-Aussies won't get the context, but well played.

sabbasolo

I just booked to SYD for tomorrow, knowing I will have to do quarantine in a hotel for 14 days, and then I will visit my parents in Melbourne. It was extremely expensive, about twice normal from Europe - FRA-SFO-SYD return was $8k. However trying to book SFO-SYD alone was nearly double that - $15k in business. Throughout they are selling only J and C, Y and B since they are limited in the number of seats sold by Australian authorities.

Obviously from the USA there are no alternatives, so they charge what the market will bear. From Europe, some people (depends on where you have been, and citizenship etc) have possible routes to Australia via Asia.

Antonio8069

I re-booked on AC via YVR for next May. The fares came down so my e-voucher covered most of it.
Reserving for Xmas is entirely problematic:
- there is next to no chance the flight will operate;
- the fare will always be higher for then.
IF you must go then, fly to Auckland.

HNLbasedFlyer

Qantas suspending flight sales to North America until Oct 2021 isn't helping with any of the pricing - that takes a lot of seats and competition out of play.

https://simpleflying.com/qantas-us-f...le-suspension/

Mwenenzi

On current rules for NZ only NZ citizens, NZ permanent residents and limited others by permission can enter. IMHO going forward NZ will have tighter entry restrictions than AU.
NZ has a pre-booking system for the 14 day hotel isolation. Fully booked up to mid Dec 2021 (out of isolation before Christmas)

Airside AKL transit is currently OK, but Air NZ has only a few "quarantine flights" per week AKL-SYD. Most flights are "quarantine free" under the one way NZ-AU bubble

Often1

1. Supply & demand - Not only is there radically cut availability, by AU limits cap the number of passengers, meaning that flights operate way below capacity. That costs money. .
2. Urgency of travel. - The people booking now are those willing to pay a premium. As with most international travel, not worth expending much effort until 30-45 days prior to intended travel (or things open up on a fairly clearly permanent basis).

briank1973

Been 5 months since the last post here..... but thought I'd at least ask: How do the airlines choose who gets bumped off a flight into AU? I imagine it's based on price paid for the ticket, but do you think status matters too?

I'm currently in MEL and am hoping to go to the US later this year under the "compelling reason" option (which requires a trip outside of Australia for at least 3 months). My concern, of course, is the flight back. According to DFAT, it is entirely up to the airlines who they allow to fly to AU and who they kick off due to cap numbers. I'm a bit surprised by that because I thought DFAT would want government travellers to be prioritised. Perhaps it's just their way of telling people that we can't help you, even though they probably can.